Newly hatched green turtle: Practicing - Playing a Musical Instrument, "4 Concentrate when you practice. Yo-yo Ma says join feelings into your music when you feel bad, to integrate your feelings with your mind and body"

Hi M, 

Just exploring enjoying music-playing when feelings of discontent emerge ... 

I've been practicing (my bagpipes) for about 2 hours now, and observed, in the middle of it, old feelings of discontent, which probably go back to my ages 6-12 and practicing the piano (and even also doing homework). It's interesting to think through, with awareness of feelings, of how to navigate such 'weather,' now that I'd like to bring my piping up a level every year. 

Here's one place for sharing ideas about this ... 

http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Practicing_-_Playing_a_Musical_Instrument.

And Marsalis and Ma offer some sound guidelines in a related vein - 

http://scottmacleod.com/GuidelinesPracticingMusicalInstrument.htm - 

which I only connected with in the past few weeks, in their item 4 - 

"4 Concentrate when you practice.

Yo-yo says join feelings into your music when you feel bad, to integrate your feelings with your mind and body" - 

which  explicitly addresses the question of feelings when practicing. Sometimes when I've felt discontent in general recently, I've sung to join feelings with singing, per Yo-yo Ma, and even let the singing become the feelings, which has been transformative (when I've really joined the feelings and the singing), - and good.

Just exploring reflexively the psychology (my own) of playing regularly, for learning's sake, and may add these ideas to WUaS's Playing / Practicing wiki page (being aware of language, and learning to play daily, in lieu of the word practice, can have merit) via a blog entry. (There are already many good ideas there). I'd like to bring this all toward great happiness through music-making ... which will involve, even as my technique improves, a change and development of thinking, and ways of playing together. :)

Curious about your thoughts about some of this ... since we share a love of making music, and the value of practicing, as well. While everyone, and every child, is different, family dynamics influence approaches to focusing musically, so further conversation with you could help us co-understand such questions, and help us both make music more happily, as we grow better at it, as well. :)

xo, 

Scott

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